The Korea Post organizes tours for the ambassadors, senior diplomats, spouses

Since its inauguration in 1985, The Korea Post has been organizing tours for the ambassadors and senior diplomats with their spouses to the industrial, cultural and various other events of the local governments for the promotion of understanding between the diplomats and the Korean society. And in many instances, The Korea Post publishes stories and photos on these events in advance of the tour so that the visiting ambassadors would be familiar with the events before their actual visits.

During the tours, The Korea Post fully introduces the details of the events to the visiting ambassadors as well as introducing each ambassador and other visiting member of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps for the promotion understanding, friendship and cooperation between Korea and the countries represented by the diplomats.
Many ambassadors and others senior diplomats take part in the tours of The Korea Post as they learn the special features of the countryside outside Seoul. Here are the details of some of the tours organized by The Korea Post for the past 30 years.
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Over 120 envoys, senior diplomats and their spouses visit Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan

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Over 70 envoys, senior diplomats, spouses visit Hyundai Motor Company in Namyang and Asan

A total of more than 70 ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses visited the Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) located in Namyang and Asan, about 60 miles south of Seoul, on March 24, 2006, and inspected the R&D Center and various production facilities of the Company.
Welcoming the distinguished international guests, President Chung Ui-sun of the HMC said, “The Hyundai and Kia motor companies will grow to one of the five top auto makers of the world by 2010.”
The visiting ambassadors and other senior diplomats inspected the R&D Center of the HMC and sophisticated research-development facilities, which included Collison tests of motor vehicles. Unlike other Korean big business company CEOs,
In response, Ambassador Alfredo Ungo of El Salvador (dean of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps) said, “Touring the wonderful production facilities, I am reminded of the foresight of the Chairman Chung Ju-yung of the Hyundai Business Group and I would like to take this opportunity to express my respect for former Chairman Chung.”
Ambassadors and other members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps visit the Hyundai Motor Company in Namyang and Asan arranged by The Korea Post.

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Envoys, senior diplomats and spouses attend 4th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival

Some 50 Ambassadors, other senior diplomats and their spouses attended the 4th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival on Sept. 14, 2008 which they visited in a one-night-two-day tour at the invitation of Mayor Eom Tae-young of the Jecheon City. The tour was arranged by The Korea Post at the invitation of Mayor Eom.

The Festival, which featured the British film, Younng@Heart, as the opening work of the Festival, was attended by an estimated 3,500 representatives from all walks of life in the Korean society as well as Jecheon City.

On the following day, the ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses were invited to tour the Sotte Park and the Loess(Red Clay) Festival.
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Ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses from 20 different countries of the world had a tour of the Sam Hospital in Anyang City on Nov. 12, 2008. The Sam Hospital, which has a motto and slogan reading "We Love You,” is noted for the special care for the patients based on the love of Jesus Christ.
Speaking to the visiting ambassadors and other diplomats, President Lee Sang-taek said, “I would not say that we are the best hospital in the world but I assure you that we do our best for the benefit of patients.”
Ambassador Umana Chinchilla of Honduras, dean of the visiting members of the Diplomatic Corps expressed his congratulations on the 41stanniversary of founding of the Hospital as well as his gratitude for President Lee’s invitation of the ambassadors and other senior diplomats to visit the hospital.
The visiting members of the Diplomatic Corps then toured variousfacilities of the Hospital, including the Oriental Medicine Hospital and the Women’s Hospital. The vising diplomats were greeted by the lady doctors and nurses who welcomed the visiting members of the Diplomatic Corps clad in beautiful traditional Korean Hanbok costumes in a display of special regard and welcome for the ambassadors and senior diplomats.

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Ambassadors and senior diplomats from over 60 countries attend Boyreong Mud Festival

Some 60 ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses visited the Boryeong City, Chungcheongnam-do Province, on July 24, 2010, and attended the 13th Boryeong Mud Festival at the invitation of Mayor Lee Shi-woo arranged by The Korea Post.
The Boryeong Mud Festival, which was initially started in July 1998 to widely introduce and commercialize the excellent quality of the mud in Boryeong, has now become one of the most important local festivals in Korea. The Boryeong Mud Cosmetic Articles have become thanks the excellent quality of the local mud which is believed to have an excellent medical efficacy good for the skin.
Welcoming the visiting ambassadors, senior diplomats and their spouses, Mayor Lee See-woo said, “The Boryeong Beach is the only place in the Orient where the sand has the optimum level and share of shall powder and I would like to recommend to all the distinguished guests to personally experience the excellent effects of the clean mud of the Boryeong Beach.” The Festival offered mud massaging, beach-site self-massaging and sophisticated mud massaging.

Ambassadors of Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, other countries attend 2011 Medical Korea Conference

Ambassadors of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and a number of other countries attended the 2011 Global Health Care & Medical Conference held in Seoul on April 13, 2011. The Korea Post arranged the tour for the ambassadors to the Conference.

Minister Chin Soo-Hee of Health & Welfare attending the Conference said that a total of 300,000 in-bound medical tourists are expected to visit Korea a year by 2015. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Healthcare& Medical Tourism Conference (Medical Korea 2011) at COEX in Seoul on April 13, 2011, Minister Chin said that the number of in-bounds to Korea for medical attention has been rapidly increasing from 60,000 in 2009 to 80,000 last year and that Korea is expecting the number to increase to 300,000 a year by 2015.
Medical Korea 2011 was co-hosted by the Ministry of Health & Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and organized by the Korea Healthcare Industry and Tourism Institute (KHIDI).
Following Minister Chin, President Bupwan Kim of KHIDI stated that medical tourism industry has passed through an introductory period and that now it is meeting a growth period around the world. He noted that medical institutions and providers offer a high-quality service differentiated from other countries and give patients trust for developing global healthcare industry.
A return address was made by Ambassador Konstantin V. Vnukov who congratulated the successful opening of Medical Korea 2011 and disclosed that Russia was very much interested in increasing cooperation and exchange between Korea and Russia in medicine. He said that in fact a good number of Russian medical experts were attending the Conference.
The Conference was attended by a total of over 500 guests from 27 different countries of the world, who included Ambassadors Muteb AL-Mutoteh of Kuwait, Konstantin V. Vnukov of the Russian Federation and Al-Ahmad Al-Barrak of Saudi Arabia; Charge d'Affaires Abdulla Almarzooqi of the United Arab Emirates and Medical Attache Scott Blaker of the United States, many of whom were accompanied by their wives. Among the medical experts attending Medical Korea 2011 were President Allan Yeo of Thomson Medical Centre, President Choi Han-Yong of Samsung Medical Center, President Cho Sang Heon of Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System, President Young-seon Hong of the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, President & CEO Park Yong-Won of Yonsei University Health System, President Huh Chu Yeop Kyung Hee University International Medical Service in Gangdong and Vice President Dr. Chang-Sung Son for Health Affairs at Korea University Medical Center.
The Korea Post organized the attendance of the ambassadors and other senior diplomats at the international Medical-Health Care Conference.

Ambassadors, media representatives attend Dangjin tug-of-war

Ambassador Dr. Alba Florio Legnani of Uruguay and other ambassadors, senior diplomats and international media representatives visited the Dangjin City of Chungcheongnam-do Province, some 87.5 miles southwest of Seoul on April 10, 2015 to attend the 2015 DangjinGijisi Tug-of-War Culture Festival in the city.

The largest tug-of-war with the longest ropes in Asia has a history of 500 years and attracts hundreds of thousands of people.
On the way to Dangjin, the ambassadors, their spouses and other senior diplomats had a tour of various production facilities of the Hyundai Steel Mill and inspected the process of steel products being made.
Upon arrival in the Dangjin City, the ambassadors and other members of the visiting group attended a luncheon hosted by Mayor and Mrs. Kim Jang-Hong where a brief welcome ceremony was held in honor of the envoys and other senior diplomats.
Speaking to the guests, Mayor Kim said, “The DangjinGijisi Tug-of-War, which you will be visiting soon, is expected to be recorded as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage as Korea’s representative tug-of-war together with those of three other Asian countries, namely Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.” Then he said that the DangjinGijisi Tug-of-War was a game where the two competing parties are both winners and there is no loser because when the Upper Stream Team wins there is peace in that year and when the Down Stream Team wins there is a bumper crop. (Further details are toward the end of this Article.)
Ambassador Florio Legnani of Uruguay made a return speech congratulating Mayor Kim on the Festival. She said in part: “As always these events give us opportunities of understanding and building friendly links with the Korean community. We are sure that we will enjoy seeing the special rope used, the largest of the world, the same as the game with its large number of participants working in team with harmony and unity.”

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Over 60 envoys, senior diplomats attend Gyeongju Silk Road Expo Student Festival

The 2015 Gyeongju Silk Road Culture Expo Student Festival was opened at the Expo Culture Center at the Expo Park in Gyeongju City some 231 miles southeast of Seoul on May 30, 2015 attended by over sixty ambassadors and other senior diplomats from 36 countries plus international media representatives and some 1,500 international student representatives from 95 countries of the world?as well as local government and civic leaders from Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Gyeongju City (list of participants at the end of this Article).

Attending the opening ceremony were Ambassador Herman Brantes of Chile and over 60 other ambassadors and spouses, Governor Kim Kwan-yong of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Mayor Choi Yang-sik of the Gyeongju City, Chairman Park Kwon-hyung of the Culture-Environment Committee of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council and other government and civic leaders of the central government as well as the provincial and city governments.
Welcoming the ambassadors and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps, international student representatives and other guests, Governor Kim Kwan-yong said in part: “I am pleased to announce that President Park Geun-hye takes strong interest in the Gyeongju Silk Road Culture Expo, especially for our efforts put in, which she cited were a representative case good for the flourishing of the Korean and international cultures.

“In particular, on the occasion of President Park’s visit to Gyeongju in December 2013, the President extolled our efforts made for the 2013 Istanbul-Gyeongju Expo citing that Cultural Fusion was the Key Word of the 21st Century.” (Excerpts from the speech are toward the end of this Article.)
In response to the welcome speech of Governor Kim, Ambassador Herman Brantes of Chile spoke on behalf of the visiting members of the Diplomatic Corps. He said in part: “A long time ago, the Silk Road was a great journey of mankind that took place along the path of civilization, and today we have a new Silk Road, longest and wider, but of culture, economy, technology and cooperation that are transcending the differences between the countries, for which we congratulate the organizers of this Gyeongju Silk Road Culture Expo and particularly the government of Gyeongju for inviting us to participate in this excellent initiative.”
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Attending the opening ceremony of 3rd Goseong Dinosaur World Expo

Some 50 ambassadors, spouses and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps (SDC) attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd Goseong Dinosaur World Expo in Goseong City on March 30-31, 2012, the largest such event of Korea. The tour of the Expo and the Goseong City for the diplomats was arranged by The Korea Post magazine.

The ambassadors, their spouses and other visiting members of the SDC attended the opening ceremony, had dinner with Governor Kim Du-kwan of Gyeongsangnam-do Province as well as Mayor Lee Hak-lul of Goseong City, and saw a wide variety of dinosaur exhibits (including footprint fossils of dinosaurs), bio-farming and 3D to 5D videos. They also had a tour of interesting destinations in and around Goseong, including a cable car ride to and from the Mireuk-san Mountain in the National Hallyeo Marine Park.
Among the Korean and international figures they met in Goseong, besides Governor Kim Du-kwan of the Gyeongsangnam-do Province and Mayor Lee Hak-lul of Goseong City, were Chairman Huh Ki-do of the Legislative Council of Gyeongsangnam-do, Chairman Je Jong-mo of the Busan Metropolitan City Council, President Kim Sung-Jin of Hankyong National University, Korea’s top gagman ‘Popeye’ Lee Sang-yong, and Korean top singer Nam Jin. They also met with Mayor Laura Pricedman of Grendale City of California and President Zacharry R. Hodges of Houston Community College of the United States.

Welcoming the 50 ambassadors, spouses and other senior members of the SDC at a luncheon he hosted, Mayor Lee Hak-lul of Goseong City said in part: “The dinosaurs that had lived on the Korean peninsula went extinct 65 million years ago due to environmental apocalypse and we only have their footprints that are the traces of their habitation in Korea.
“The extinct dinosaurs restore their life by the rainwater that is the alpha and omega of the environment. And the dinosaurs that have thus recovered their life will tell us the story of the rainwater and the environment.”
In a return speech, Ambassador Shahidul Islam of Bangladesh expressed his appreciation for the invitation of the ambassadors and other members of the Diplomatic Corps to the Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo. Then he presented a Plaque of Appreciation to Mayor Lee on behalf of all the members of the Diplomatic Corps joining the tour of Goseong that day.
At the welcome luncheon, Ambassador Islam of Bangladesh, dean of the visiting members of the SDC that day according to the order of precedence of accreditation to Korea, presented a Plaque of Appreciation to Mayor Lee Hak-lul for the invitation of the ambassadors and other diplomats to the Goseong Dinosaur World Expo, which contributed to the promotion of understanding on the part of the diplomats concerning Korean culture.

In return, Mayor Lee presented Ambassador Islam with a 'Porcelain Vase with Ice Crystal Patterns' created by Pottery Artist Lee Kyu-ahn of the Hyangrim Pottery Institute, who is the Master Artist Number 1 of the Gyeongsangnam-do Province in the Pottery Division. Mayor Lee later gave one such vase to each ambassador and member of the SDC in memory of their visit to Goseong Dinosaur World Expo.
Following the luncheon, the visiting ambassadors and other diplomats began a tour of various Expo event sites, namely the Dinosaur Grove, the Dinosaur Contents Industrial Hall, the Rainwater Utilization Experience Hall, the Dinosaur Character Hall, the Laser Image Hall, the Korean Peninsula Footprint Fossil Hall, the Traditional Korean Culture Experience Hall, the Expo Main Theme Park, the Dinosaur Land Botanical Garden and the Bio-Environment Agricultural Experience Hall.

On the evening of the first day, Mayor hosted a dinner reception for the VIP guests to the Dinosaur Expo, who included Governor Kim Du-kwan (one of the three Presidential hopefuls of the united opposition camp), National Assemblyman Kim Hyeong-O, Chairman Heo Gi-do of the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Council, Chairman Jae Jong-Mo of Busan Metropolitan City Council, Councilman Kim Dae Gyeom of the Busan City Council, Chairman Park Tae-Hoon of Goseong City Council and Councilmen, Superintendent Lim Hye-Gyeong of the Busan Metropolitan City Board of Education and Superintendent Kim Bok-Man of the Ulsan City Board of Education.

Minister Chin eyes annual 300,000 medical tourists to Korea by 2015

Minister Chin Soo-Hee of Health & Welfare said that a total of 300,000 in-bound medical tourists are expected to visit Korea a year by 2015. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Healthcare& Medical Tourism Conference (Medical Korea 2011) at COEX in Seoul on April 13, 2011, Minister Chin said that the number of in-bounds to Korea for medical attention has been rapidly increasing from 60,000 in 2009 to 80,000 last year and that Korea is expecting the number to increase to 300,000 a year by 2015.

Medical Korea 2011 was co-hosted by the Ministry of Health & Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and organized by the Korea Healthcare Industry and Tourism Institute (KHIDI).
Following Minister Chin, President Bupwan Kim of KHIDI stated that medical tourism industry has passed through an introductory period and that now it is meeting a growth period around the world. He noted that medical institutions and providers offer a high-quality service differentiated from other countries and give patients trust for developing global healthcare industry.
A return address was made by Ambassador Konstantin V. Vnokov who congratulated the successful opening of Medical Korea 2011 and disclosed that Russia was very much interested in increasing cooperation and exchange between Korea and Russia in medicine. He said that in fact a good number of Russian medical experts were attending the Conference.

The Conference was attended by a total of over 500 guests from 27 different countries of the world, who included Ambassadors Muteb AL-Mutoteh of Kuwait, Konstantin V. Vnukov of the Russian Federation and Al-Ahmad Al-Barrak of Saudi Arabia; Charge d'Affaires Abdulla Almarzooqi of the United Arab Emirates and Medical Attache Scott Blaker of the United States, many of whom were accompanied by their wives. Among the medical experts attending Medical Korea 2011 were President Allan Yeo of Thomson Medical Centre, President Choi Han-Yong of Samsung Medical Center, President Cho Sang Heon of Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System, President Young-seon Hong of the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, President & CEO Park Yong-Won of Yonsei University Health System, President Huh Chu Yeop Kyung Hee University International Medical Service in Gangdong and Vice President Dr. Chang-Sung Son for Health Affairs at Korea University Medical Center.
There also were Director SooWoong Kim of KHIDI, Executive Director SooNam Jim of KTO, President Renee-Marie Stephano of MTA, Executive Director Dr. Desmond Yen of International Business of ACHS and Dr. Heon-Jae Jeong of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Then there were Prof. I. Glenn Cohen of Harvard Law School, COO Wen-Ching H. Niou of MSH China, Chief Cardiology Dr. Jin Sik Park of Sejong Hospital and Director Dr. JungHyun Shim of the Leon Wiltse Memorial Hospital.

In addition, there were Presidents Jung Hee-won of the Korea International Medical Association, Kang Yoon-goo of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service and Shin Kyunglim of the Korean Nurses Association; and Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post
Following the official opening of Medical Korea 2011, Minister Chin hosted an informal meeting with a number of ambassadors and their spouses, whose countries were on the high-priority list for mutual cooperation with the Korean medical industry.
I express my heart-felt gratitude to the Excellencies and Madams from the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the presidents and CEOs from five major general hospitals in Korea for taking time out of their busy schedule for the promotion of cooperation between Korea and their countries in the promotion of cooperation in medicine.
As I stated at the opening ceremony, we had 60,000 medical tourists from overseas in 2009, which increased to 80,000 last year and we are expecting that it will be further increased to around 300,000 by 2015.